The Lost Arcade: a documentary about New York City’s arcade culture

Written and produced by Irene Chin and directed by Kurt Vincent, THE LOST ARCADE, is an intimate story of a once-ubiquitous cultural phenomenon on the edge of extinction, especially in New York City, which once had video arcades by the dozen. These arcades were as much social hubs to meet up and hang out as they were public arenas for gamers to demonstrate their skills. But by 2011, only a handful remained, most of them corporate affairs, leaving the legendary Chinatown Fair on Mott Street as the last hold-out of old-school arcade culture.

Opened in the early 1940’s, Chinatown Fair, famous for its dancing and tic tac toe playing chickens, survived turf wars between rival gangs, increases in rent, and the rise of the home gaming system to become an institution and haven for kids from all five boroughs. A documentary portrait of the Chinatown Fair and its denizens, THE LOST ARCADE is a eulogy for and a celebration of the arcade gaming community, tenacity, and Dance Dance Revolutionary spirit.

THE LOST ARCADE had its world premiere at the 2015 DOC NYC while going on to play numerous prestigious film festivals around the world, such as the 2016 International Film Festival Rotterdam, Melbourne International Film Festival, Independent Film Festival Boston, Santa Cruz Film Festival, Open City Documentary Festival in London and the San Diego Asian Film Festival.